Lockers
by BookwormDragon
Summary: After tragedy, healing comes in small steps. Implied past Eric/Speed. Gen. Spoilers for 'Lost Son' and Season 3 in general.
1. Ryan

**Ryan  
****(Chapter One of **_**Lockers**_**)  
By BookwormDragon**

_**Disclaimer**__: Neither the CSI: Miami Universe nor any of the Characters in the CSI: Miami_ _Universe belong to me. No profit is made from this story on my part. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

_

Ryan read the name tags on the rows of lockers, looking for an empty one that he could claim as his own. He was still stunned and elated that he had gotten the job. He had thought for sure that his stupid OCD had crushed another one of his dreams, and then he was hired and given his first case, all in a matter of minutes.

As he moved down the line, his eye was caught by a nametag: Speedle. Well, he supposed that locker was technically empty, but he wasn't an idiot: he wouldn't be taking it.

He knew what it was like when an officer, a friend, was killed in the line of duty, and he had no desire to disrespect the memory of the Honored Dead. Speedle's locker had doubtlessly been left as an unofficial tribute to a beloved co-worker, and it would probably be months before the nametag was removed and the locker was truly considered empty. In the meantime, it served as a touchstone for the man's grieving friends and co-workers. Messing with that would only make him go from the Fucking New Guy to the Arrogant, Presumptuous, Disrespectful, Most Hated Fucking New Guy.

He fully expected a little friendly hazing from his new co-workers, but that locker represented a Pandora's box that he was absolutely not going to open. If the situation were reversed, he knew how he would react to such a thing, and he wasn't taking any chances.

Sweeping his eyes down the line again, he noticed that the locker next to Speedle's was empty and unclaimed. It was the only one, as far as he could tell. Well, it would do, even if the door was a little dented. He could always ask maintenance to fix it, or bring in the tools and fix it himself. But first, he had a case to solve.


	2. Eric

**Eric  
****(Chapter Two of **_**Lockers**_**)  
By BookwormDragon**

_**Disclaimer**__: Neither the CSI: Miami Universe nor any of the Characters in the CSI: Miami_ _Universe belong to me. No profit is made from this story on my part. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

_

**Warning: Implied Slash, Eric/Speed.

* * *

**

Eric reached up and ran his fingers over Speed's nametag, and then sighed tiredly, leaning his head against the closed locker. It hurt to see Speed's name there, knowing that his friend and lover would never use it again.

It just wasn't fair! Speed hadn't been ready to die yet, and he hadn't been ready to lose him. Their relationship had still been in the honeymoon stage, but he had been surprised to realize that he had been looking forward to finding out what the next stages would look like. And then, it was suddenly all gone, just like that. All of their tomorrows, stolen thanks to one man's greed. Dammit!

He resisted the urge to punch the smooth metal he was leaning against, having learned from previous experience that the locker gave as good as it got.

If only he had checked Speed's gun before they had headed out that morning! He knew that Speed tended to procrastinate about cleaning it, especially when they were vacationing or taking a long weekend. Sure, Calleigh's official ruling had been a malfunctioning firing pin, but she had privately admitted that the gun hadn't been as clean as it should have been, even though that hadn't been what had caused the misfire. Maybe if he had checked, he would have seen the firing pin and Speed would still be alive. Maybe.

Closing his eyes, he let out a shaky breath.

That was crazy – just the guilt and grief talking. Even if he had checked Speed's gun, he wouldn't have broken it completely down and he wouldn't have detected the faulty firing pin – he wasn't a firearms expert.

Speed's death wasn't his fault. It wasn't Speed's or Horatio's fault, either. It was just the risk that they all took, combined with the actions of a greedy man. Speed's killers would be serving life-sentences for their crimes. It was time to let it go. Life went on; the world kept turning, uncaring of personal tragedies.

Shaking himself out of his depressing thoughts, he moved away toward his own locker. The locker next to Speed's had a new padlock, he noticed, and a piece of masking tape with the name "Wolfe" written on it as a temporary nametag. So Horatio really had hired the young patrol officer from the bus murder case. Good. Eric had been impressed with him when he had talked to him at the scene, and without Speed, they really were short-handed.

Perhaps now they could all stop working two jobs and pulling down so much overtime. Maybe he could actually get a full night's sleep, for once. Even better, dumpster diving and other dirty tasks were the newbie's job, and since there was a new newbie, the fatality rate of his own wardrobe had just dropped dramatically.

Life, well…life wasn't exactly good yet, but it was getting better, one day at a time.

What more could you expect?


End file.
